Desperation is not always a negative feeling. Not everyone will agree with this, but those who do will know that many times, it is through sorrow and sadness we find a deeper meaning in our lives. Well, I don’t mean to be that philosophical here, but there are occasions which trigger this feeling. The occasion here is the debut full-length album from Ocean OfGrief, a melodic death/doom metal band from Greece.

When I discovered their first EP ‘Fortress Of My Dark Self‘, I immediately liked it and understood that there was great potential there. And I wasn’t disappointed when I listened to ‘Nightfall’s Lament‘. Although it belongs to the early and well known era of the genre, the band manages to own it and ‘build a character’ around it. It sounds familiar yet new, so as you listen to the whole album you don’t feel the need to skip the tracks. Beyond the good composition and production there is also an amazing, mesmerizing atmosphere where you can dive for eternity, if this is possible.

The brutal vocals are excellent and I personally appreciated that there is no clean singing. Not that I despise it, but I think it is a classic pattern which is often used by some bands of the genre and here we can realize that it is not a necessity. Each track has very good riffs which mould their atmosphere. The drums also drew my attention, due to the classic death metal technique, especially in the tracks ‘Eyes Of Oblivion‘, ‘Mourning Over Memories‘which is my personal favorite of the album, and ‘The Breeding Of Death‘. Although at some point I felt that the vocals and the guitar riffs stand out a bit more, the result is overall well balanced: flowing harmonies, filling keyboards and dynamically steady drumming.

I won’t bother citing the influences from known bands. I am absolutely positive that the fans of melodic death/doom metal will appreciate ‘Nightfall’s Lament‘and agree that Ocean Of Grief is a promising band.